The present invention relates generally to drawer slides, and more particularly to telescopic drawer slides.
Drawer slides are often used to extendably couple drawers, trays, and rack-mounted equipment to cabinets, racks and the like. The drawer slides do so by having one elongate member coupled to the cabinet or rack, and another elongate member attached to the drawer or equipment. The elongate members are slidably coupled so as to be able to longitudinally extend with respect to one another. This extension allows easy access to the drawer or equipment.
One type of drawer slide is a telescopic drawer slide. A telescopic drawer slide generally has an outer somewhat C-shaped member. An inner member, also generally C-shaped, is generally largely nested within the outer member. At times, an intermediate member is placed between the outer member and the inner member. The inclusion of the intermediate member allows for increased extension of the drawer or equipment.
In some applications, ball bearings connect the slide members. The ball bearings are placed in raceways formed along the longitudinal edges of the slide members, and the bearings slidably, or rollably, connect the slide members. The use of ball bearings allows for a smooth and generally consistent action.
In many applications, particularly rack-mounted applications, the width of the drawer slide is of some importance. The use of drawer slides having a very thin width reduces the space taken up by the drawer slide, and allows equipment to be placed closer together, thereby allowing for more equipment to be mounted in a particular rack.
Decreasing the width of the drawer slide, however, does create some problems. At times, the weight of the equipment can be substantial, and the drawer slide must be able to support substantial loads. This is particularly so when the drawer slide is extended, with the weight substantially distant from the rack. Moreover, failure of the drawer slide to support the load is generally unacceptable. This is due, for example, to the gross disparity between the value of the rack-mounted equipment and the drawer slide. This is also important, for example, for various safety reasons.